Years and years of tireless effort by residents of the White Salmon watershed and their allies led to today. As I wrote about the breaching of the Elwha dams earlier this year, “In Cascadia, most of our problems, like these dams, are things we made ourselves. We can unmake them, too. All it takes is effort. A lot of it. Sometimes for a long time.”

I am curious about the environmental balance that was struck by benefits of the dam removal towards fish restoration against loss of habitat, recreation loss, and the damage caused by the sediment that was instantaneously released. Oh – and we lose a source of clean power as well. I’d be interested in the economic analysis that includes the environmental impacts.

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Founded in 1993, Sightline Institute is committed to making the Northwest a global model of sustainability, with strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. We work to promote smart policy ideas and monitor the region's progress towards sustainability.